


Beyond Wonderland

by solarbaby614



Category: Firefly, Power Rangers Jungle Fury
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-07
Updated: 2012-07-07
Packaged: 2017-11-09 08:23:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/453380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarbaby614/pseuds/solarbaby614
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The past has a way of returning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beyond Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

> Series finale for Jungle Fury and (set after) Serenity for Firefly.

  


-

 

Casey hated the core. 

And he hated Inara for dragging him into this. 

… Fine. He didn’t hate Inara, but he really was not a happy camper with the situation. From the looks she kept shooting him, Inara knew it as well. Casey smiled politely as another man passed by then tugged at his collar. 

How he got sucked into this was beyond him. Last he heard, he was being paid to be Serenity’s pilot not a bodyguard. Now he was stuck on this god-forsaken core planet playing escort/bodyguard. 

“Could you at least pretend that you’re enjoying this?” 

Casey forced what he hoped was a happy grin to his face as he bit out, “I hate these gor’ram clothes.” 

Inara rolled her eyes. “You’re as bad as Mal.” She reached up and fixed the white collar of his coat. “Remember, you agreed to accompany me. So, suck it up.” 

“I hate these clothes. I feel like such a dork in them.” 

She sent him a curious look. “A what?” 

Casey just shook his head. “Nothing.” 

“Well,” She began, “I think you look very dashing.” Inara gave him a once over, obviously happy with her handiwork. 

He sent her a genuine smile. “You are usually very much a better liar than that.” His hand started to snake its way back up to his neck, only to be slapped away by the companion. Shooting an annoyed look at her, he reached up again, this time readjusting his glasses. He didn’t necessarily need them but people tended to underestimate him when he wore them. 

“Don’t mess with it.” 

He gave a heavy sigh which was returned with an amused look. 

“We have two days before the captain returns with Serenity to pick us up. If you want to look like you fit in, then you’ll have to get used to it.” Inara couldn’t help but be amused by his pained look. In the seven months he had been working on Serenity she had come to realize that he was scared of very few things (what he was scared of Zoe called ‘suicidal tendencies’) but apparently Core society was one of them. “This party is only for a few hours. Then you’ll be free to hide in the shuttle all you want.” 

“Thanks.” He plastered a pleasant smile to his face as she took his arm and forced him out from behind the pillar. Casey was immediately overwhelmed with fluffy skirts and bad hair-dos. Classical music came from the orchestra and the dance floor was full of people dancing stiffly. 

Did he mention that he hated the core? 

-

“There he is.” 

Casey glanced up from his drink, something frilly and weak, shifting a little as his gun into his back. Inara sat beside him, staring out into the crowd. “Who?” 

“The new Chancellor of New Melbourne.” She was standing up smoothing her skirts. “He’s the friend of Sadari’s that she wanted me to introduce myself to.” She mentioned her fellow companion, who was originally supposed to attend this party as the Companion Guild’s emissary. Unfortunately, since she was unable to she asked Inara. 

He followed her gaze and found it pinned to the back of a man’s head. The man seemed a little familiar, but he couldn’t place him. Brown hair was cropped short to his head and he wore a black and gold jacket with black pants. 

The man turned and in that moment time seemed to stand still. 

“Inara, what did you say that man’s name was?” 

She frowned as she took in his pale complexion. “Requiem, I believe was his first name. Chancellor Requiem Finn.” 

He had been hoping that he had been wrong. That his eyes were playing tricks on him. Unfortunately, no such luck on his part. Instead he was about to come face to face with someone he hadn’t seen in over two-hundred years. 

“RJ.” 

Unnecessary panic filled him as he did what seemed to be the most logical thing to do at the time. 

The Tiger Master bolted. 

-

When Inara found him about half an hour later Casey was sitting in the building’s garden. He jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder. 

She slid onto the bench next to him. “What’s wrong?” 

“It’s nothing. I just…” He took a deep breath and stared at the fountain. “I know-- knew him.” 

“The Chancellor?” 

He nodded, not looking at her. Casey could feel her questioning gaze on his face and chose to ignore it. His hand drifted up under the neck of his shirt, fingers tracing just above his collar bone where he knew a faint set of teeth marks still rested after all this time. 

Inara made a noise but seemed to have decided not to push the issue, yet anyways. If it had been anyone else, Mal especially, he knew he would have been pushed for answers. He was grateful to her for this. A sigh came from her. “Well, the party’s almost over. We should make our exit.” 

Casey seemed to perk up at the thought of getting out of those clothes and into some of his own. “Let’s go.” He jumped up and held out a hand to her, which she gratefully took. 

Maybe it was too much to hope that he could avoid it that easily. That could just sort of slip away from the party then disappeared back into the ‘verse with no one the wiser. 

Yeah, right. 

The two had made it to the empty hall, almost to the door before a voice called out to them. 

“Inara!” 

Casey froze, recognizing the voice immediately. Still, he refused to turn around even as the companion beside him did. 

“I was hoping to catch you before you leave.” 

The voice sent shivers up his spine, warmth spreading through him at the same time. It had been so long since he had heard that voice. His hand tightened into a fist as he fought off turning. 

“Ah, I don’t believe I’ve met your escort.” 

Don’t turn around. 

“Hello?” 

Don’t turn. 

Don’t--. 

To Ma Duh! 

“Actually, we’ve met.” Casey took a deep breath and turned, coming face to face with the man. “Hello, RJ.” 

The Chancellor of New Melbourne, Requiem James Finn, paled considerably, his eyes going wide. He took a step forward and Casey barely stopped himself from moving away. But when RJ reached out to touch him and this time he did move back. Casey didn’t want that touch, that moment of connection. That would be all it would it take for him to fall again. 

“Casey?!” 

The next moment Casey found himself pinned to a wall, a familiar body pressed against his. Warmth spread throughout him where the body pressed against him. “Wha--?” His question was cut off by a set of lips on his own. The warmth immediately shifted into something hotter, more undefined. He could feel the tiger under the surface, wanting to be freed, wanting to play with his wolf once again. The instinct was pushed down. A hand found its self buried in his hair and he felt himself trail his own hand up to slide through the wolf’s. Skin brushed against his neck, followed by warm breath. A shiver slid through him. 

“Wuo duh tian ah.” 

That incredulous mutter brought him back to reality. Casey pushed RJ away from him and scrambled away. He slid behind Inara, who was shooting him a stunned look. Not that he was hiding behind her. No, that wasn’t what he was doing at all. “Casey?” Her voice asked. 

“Casey?” RJ’s voice echoed. 

Casey looked up at the man. He could still feel the warmth from him, body sliding against his. It brought back memories of a time long past, when he would have willingly moved into the touches instead of shying away. He ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier than before. He should have known better. You can’t run from your past forever. “Inara, why don’t you go back to the shuttle? I’ll be there soon.” 

“Are you sure?” Concern shined from her eyes, making him smile. 

“I can take care of myself.” He forced a grin to his face. “You know that.” 

She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but didn’t. Instead she just shot him a questioning look that Casey nodded to. Inara turned and left, still seeming unsure. 

Casey watched her leave, not sure that staying behind was the greatest of ideas. Especially alone. 

But he still shifted his attention back to the Wolf Master. “We need to talk.” 

RJ nodded. “Come back to the party with me.” He held out his hand to the tiger. 

His reply was a weary look shot his way. 

Rolling his eyes, the Chancellor shot him a reassuring look. “I’m not going to jump you--.” 

“Again?” Casey finished, cutting him off. 

“Fair.” RJ nodded at him. “I promise. We’ll just talk.” His hand stretched out towards him. “Please?” 

Indecisiveness filled him as Casey eyed the hand. Trust didn’t come easy to him. Decades alone in the ‘verse had seen to that. Doing this, taking his hand, would be a show of weakness. Was it worth it? 

He hoped so. 

-

RJ seemed pleased to have Casey beside him as they re-entered the ball room. He had his hand locked on the tiger’s shoulder. It seemed that he was afraid that if he let go Casey would disappear. 

“How… How have you been Casey?” The wolf master’s voice was tentative, unsure. Now that he had the man with him it seemed RJ wasn’t sure just what say. 

“Decent. As well as can be expected I guess.” He shrugged. 

“Obviously.” RJ looked him up and down, taking in his outfit. 

It was the height of Core fashion, Inara had made sure of that. The outfit was expensive and showed wealth, but that was something of a necessity. For him to be accepted by those at the party he had to look and play the part. It was petty and conceited and completely not Casey. RJ apparently thought that Casey was a core-worlder as well. He honestly never thought that he was that good of an actor. 

Small talk continued. Gradually he relaxed, talking more and more openly to the wolf who returned the favor. By the time the party was completely over, Casey was surprised he had held of the façade for that long. He smirked in amusement; he was playing the part far too well. 

“So how did you come to be the Chancellor of New Melbourne?” Casey leaned back in the chair. The room was mostly empty, save a few stragglers like themselves. 

“Well… actually…” 

“Chancellor? Chancellor Finn?” 

A pained look settled on RJ’s face before it became shuttered. All relaxation evaporated from his form, leaving him stiff and proper, shooting to his feet. In one moment, RJ turned into every core-worlder the tiger had been introduced to that night. 

Casey followed the wolf’s gaze, standing up as well, seeing a slightly out of shape man hurrying towards them. The badges on his outfit helped Casey place him. Unless he was mistaken it dictated Senator. He didn’t think he had been introduced to him before, though. 

“Chancellor Finn, I’m glad to have caught you. I was hoping that you had a chance to think over…” The man’s voice trailed off as he saw Casey. “Hello there.” A smarmy smile crossed his face as he held out his hand. “Senator Harkins of Newhall.” 

Casey groaned inwardly and wondered if there was a way that he could artfully make an excuse and scram. “Hello, it’s a pleasure.” He forced this lie past his lip, purposefully leaving out his name, shaking Senator’s hand. The senator didn’t want to seem to want to let go and Casey practically had to yank it back. The feeling to wipe his hand off of his pants was strong and he clinched his fist to stop himself. 

“Yes, I believe I saw you before. With the companion.” The man was openly leering now. 

“Who I should probably be getting back to.” Casey backed away, making a move to slide past RJ. “Senator, nice to meet you.” He sent RJ a small smile and a nod. “Chancellor.” As he moved past, RJ’s hand shot out and wrapped around his wrist. He barely caught himself going for the gun tucked in his pants. 

“Don’t go.” RJ’s words were soft, quiet and pleading. 

“Yes, don’t go. I was hoping we could get to know each other better.” Senator Harkins moved closer towards Casey. Only Casey was gone moments later, having been yanked backwards by the wolf. 

RJ’s free arm wrapped around Casey’s waist and the tiger had the distinct impression that the wolf master was glaring at the Senator. 

Senator Harkins frowned. “Now, Chancellor, it’s polite to share.” 

His eyes widened at the Senator’s words. A growled came from beside him, ghosting over his ear. “My kitty. Go find your own.” 

The arm tightened slightly as Harkins made a move to step forward. The man seemed to think twice about it though and settled for just staring at Casey. “Come see me when you get bored of this… man. I’ll make it worth your time.” He spun, slinking away. 

Casey couldn’t stop gaping, wondering what the hell had just happened. The arm disappeared from his waist, instead reaching to spin him around. The tiger gasped as the older man grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into a swift kiss. The kiss remained chaste, however, and ended after a few seconds. “…Huwah?” 

The only reply was laughter from RJ. He leaned in forward, right beside the tiger’s ear. “I believe the man thought you were something akin to a companion yourself.” 

“What?!” Casey jerked back, the grip not letting him get too far. “But… how?” He looked down at his outfit. “I don’t…” 

“No, you don’t.” 

Casey found himself being pulled forward once again. 

The kiss was soft and gentle, at least for the first few moments. Then RJ pulled him closer, tilting his head to get a better angle and opening his mouth to lick at the tiger’s lips. Casey complied with his wishes and allowed the wolf’s tongue into his mouth. There was a small duel (Casey believed that since it was his mouth, he should be in charge of what happened in it; RJ disagreed) before the younger let out a moan and allowed him to plunder his mouth. 

He realized vaguely that the wolf was sliding a knee between his legs and whimpered, grabbing his jacket quickly. The man merely smirked and pulled him closer, sliding his hand down his side to his hip, then around to rest on his butt. When the tiger let out a squeal of surprise and pulled back, lips parting with a wet smack, the RJ’s smirk grew absolutely feral. 

“You’re trying to seduce me.” Casey said indignantly. 

RJ’s head lifted, eyes roaming over him. “Yes, I am. Is it working?” His voice- a low, teasing caress- disarmed Casey. His hand was spanning the tiger’s throat, his thumb brushing tenderly across his neck, sending flames licking along the skin. 

Casey smiled in spite of trying not to. “No, not at all.” 

“Liar.” 

The word brushed across his neck. 

“Come home with me tonight.” 

“Yes.” 

-

It was beeping that woke Casey. He rolled over in his bed, frowning at how comfortable the bunk seemed. Light hit his eyes as he blinked. That wasn’t right. Actually none of this was right, the bed was too soft, there was too much light and the beeping wasn’t the sound from his alarm. That was his portable. He clinched his eyes shut as memories of the night before rushed back. 

Casey felt a shift in the bed and opened his eyes. There next to him laid his mate. His mate. That wasn’t a term he had really thought about in a long time. 

The beeping continued. 

It was coming from his pants. He slid out of the bed, careful not to wake RJ. The portable was in his back pocket and he flipped it on, turning the sound down. But instead of Inara, or even one of the other crew’s faces, he saw a text message flash across the screen. 

Meet Inara at the shuttle. 

We’re leaving. Now. 

Mal 

Whatever heist Mal had planned while they were gone must have gone south. 

He bit back a groan and glanced back at the bed. RJ was still dead asleep, content look on his face. Casey slid his pants on, slipping into his dark red shirt. His coat was going to have to be left behind since he really didn’t have time to search. He quickly typed back a message before flipping it to vibrate and tucking it in a pocket. This movement caused his shoulder to move, sending pain from above the collarbone. He glanced over in the mirror and blinked. The teeth marks that had been so faded the night before we’re freshly re-made. It wasn’t bleeding but it would definitely scar again. 

A sound came from the bed causing him to jump slightly. Turning quickly, he realized that RJ had shifted on the bed. The man was now stretched out with his arm tossed across the area that Casey had vacated. Casey gave a small smile, shaking his head. He reached out and gently brushed his fingers through the hair above the wolf’s ear. 

In his sleep, RJ whimpered and leaned into the touch. 

He didn’t want to leave. 

Casey was stuck by the sudden thought. It rolled around in his head for the moment before he realized that it was true. He wanted to crawl back into that big comfy bed and curl up against the wolf master. 

There was buzzing against his leg and he pulled it back out realizing that it was Mal once again. He sighed, shutting it off. 

“Alright, alright. I’m coming.” 

Casey turned and left, pausing momentarily at the door only to shake his head and leave the room, the building. 

On the bed, RJ stretched his arm out, frowning in his sleep when it registered the fact that he was along.

-

Casey gave another yawn as he stretched out in the pilot’s chair, letting his eyes flutter close. It was nice and quiet and would be the perfect place to meditate. Unfortunately the seat, as comfortable as it was, wasn’t exactly the prime place for it. 

“Persephone.” 

“We’re not more than a few hours out.” He opened an eye and looked over at the person who had joined him. She had a slight figure and dark hair that fell down mid-waist. River didn’t look like she was someone who could harm a fly. But he knew better than many people what kind of abilities could lie under the surface. “You should be in bed. Your brother will be upset if he finds you haven’t been sleeping again.” 

She shook her head and pulled her legs up into the other pilot’s chair. “Kitty cat doesn’t sleep.” 

He smiled at her, amused. “I sleep when I need to. You don’t have to worry about me, lil’ bit. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.” A very long time. 

A searching look crossed her face. “Didn’t want to. Forced to. Couldn’t trust him. Wolf in sheep’s clothing. Tried to take away the cat.” A grin crossed her face. “Didn’t work. Found out his kitten had claws.” 

Casey blinked, trying to ignore the shoot of pain that made his way through him. He turned his attention back to the controls, more to take his mind off of the conversation then really check progress. 

“I’m sorry.” 

He glanced back over to her to see River looking at him sadly, apologetically. “About what?” 

“Bad memories. Shouldn’t have said anything.” She crossed her arms over her legs and rested her head on them. “Sometimes I say things. I can’t stop myself.” A reassuring smile was sent her way. River tilted her head slightly, looking inquisitive. “Cats are nocturnal.” 

Casey let out a laugh at the off handed comment. “Not true. But doesn’t matter out here in the black anyways. You can have a day or night without a sun. Just synchronized sleep cycles.” 

She shook her head. “You need to sleep. Gotta big day a head. Changes.” 

“Don’t I know it. I didn’t think the Captain liked taking on passengers. Especially after last time.” He teased. 

River just looked at him, shrugging. 

“It not like I can sleep anytime soon. Someone’s gotta make sure we don’t die in a fiery explosion as we crash into the planet.” Casey saw the concerned look her face and smiled. “Now you need to go back off to bed. I’ll crash in my bunk when we hit planet side. Will that make you happy?” 

She nodded and bounced over to him, giving him a peak on the cheek. “So much taking care of. Just like Simon.” With that she bounded out the room, presumably heading for her own bunk. 

Shaking his head, Casey settled back in his chair, grabbing a holo-book from the top of a console. 

He still had a few hours to kill and he needed to stay awake. 

-

Captain Malcolm Reynolds shook his head as Casey was shooed into his bunk by River. The boy didn’t put up much of a protest, just laughing as she told him not to come back out for a few hours. He shook his head, taking in the circles under the boy’s eyes and how pale he looked. Maybe River had something there. “You bossing around my pilot now?” He asked her, amusement lacing his voice. 

River just replied with a sigh. “Don’t know how he survived. Needs someone to keep an eye out for him. No one ever has in a very long time.” 

He sighed and patted her on the shoulder. “Many of us have had to out here. He’s crew so he’s got us now.” Mal nodded her off. “You should head off and find your brother before Inara’s friend shows up. Zoe’s got take off.” 

She nodded a walked off, heading the wrong direction. 

“River!” 

But she was gone. He sighed, hoping that she’d find her brother before the man arrived or at least hid out in her bunk. 

Mal really didn’t have time for this. 

He headed down into the cargo bay, only to find Inara, Zoe and Jayne standing there waiting. The Doc apparently decided to make himself scarce, not wanting to take chances, while Kaylee was still in the engine room. 

“So where’s this friend of yours?” 

Inara sent him a look of annoyance. “He’s on his way, captain.” 

“Remind me again why he’s decided to take up as a passenger here other than one of the more classier boats that could cater to him?” Mal questioned her, his arms crossed. The truth was that if they hadn’t needed the money he wouldn’t have even considered taking on a passenger connected with the alliance. But Inara assure him that it would be a quick drop to New Melbourne with no trouble. 

“He felt that riding in a ship such as this would be safer.” This comment was answered with a snort from Jayne. She ignored him and glanced back out onto the dock. “And there he is.” 

The man approaching them was tall and clean cut. A core-worlder, obviously. As he reached the ramp Mal noticed that his hair was cropped short and his clothes looked moneyed. Easy money, just like Inara said. 

“Chancellor.” Inara greeted him. 

“Inara.” He bowed to her and kissed her hand in greeting. “We have much to talk about.” 

A curious look came across her face before she realized what he must have been talking about. Casey. A clearing of throat caused her to take notice of the other. “Of course. Chancellor, this is Captain Reynolds, his first mate, Zoe, and Jayne. I would like to introduce you all to Chancellor Requiem Finn of New Melbourne.” 

“It’s a pleasure.” The Chancellor replied, bowing to them. 

Mal replied by holding his hand out. The core-worlder looked at it for a moment before accepting the offering. The grip was strong and sure, none of the wimpy grasps he gotten from them before. A slight smile crossed his face. 

“Welcome to Serenity, Chancellor.” 

-

RJ barely had time to settle in the guest bunk before they took off. There was no real warning. Just an unsteady shake where he almost went face first to the floor. Stumbling, he grabbed the edge of the rooms sink and caught himself. He growled underneath his breath. 

This ship was a death trap. 

The world around him seemed to steady, an obvious sign that they had broken atmo. Sighing, the wolf grabbed his bags and tossed them on the bed. He was already regretting get on this ship. It was a wonder as to how Inara managed to deal with hit. Why she lived on this ship was another question he couldn’t help but wonder. 

There was no way he would have chosen to travel like this if not for Inara. She had to know something. RJ sat down on the bed, running a hand through his hair. 

He had searched every database on New Melbourne he could think of along with several other core planets. There wasn’t a trace of Casey anywhere. That’s why he bought passage with the same ship Inara lived on. Casey had been her escort that night. She had to know something, at least. Anything that could help find him. 

Hurt filled him when he remembered waking up alone. He wished he knew why the tiger had left. Had he pushed too hard? Been too insistent? What had he done so wrong that it would force his mate to leave him again? 

A groan escaped him and he flopped back on the bed, flinching at the hard mattress. RJ had slept in worse placed, though it had been a while. He rubbed at his face. There was an echoing knock at the door. 

Thinking it might be Inara he slid off of the bed, the wolf master righted his clothes, pressing out the few wrinkles that had managed to appear. By the time he reached the door there had been another, more insistent, knock. He opened the door and blinked. 

It wasn’t Inara. 

This woman was red headed, possibly shorter than the companion, dressed in a flowery shirt and overalls. She stared back at him. There was a few moments of silence before she snapped back to reality and sent him an embarrassed look. “Hi! I’m sorry with the staring, it’s just--. Nevermind. I’m Kaylee, Serenity’s engineer.” 

He smiled, giving a slight bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Requiem Finn.” 

“Oh, I know.” Kaylee flinched, realizing just how stalker-ish that sounded. “That came out creepier than I intended.” 

RJ sent her a reassuring smile. 

“Um,” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, “Oh, yeah. The captain sent me to ask if you were going to join us for dinner or not.” 

“Will all of the crew be there?” He asked her. 

“Most anyways.” Kaylee replied. “The captain and Zoe, definitely. Jayne, too. Um, Inara’s coming. I don’t know about the doc and his sister. And I think our pilot’s still sleeping.” A thoughtful look crossed her face before she blanched. Mentioning Simon and River was probably a bad idea. Even if their arrest warrant had been revoked. 

“Inara?” RJ held out his arm to the engineer. “I think I will join you. Shall we?” 

She smiled at him, taking his arm. 

\- 

Casey stumbled from his bunk, trying to blink the blurriness from his eyes. River’s little wake-up call was annoying. He muttered something about ‘insane geniuses’ under his breath. The last thing anyone wanted to wake up to was a loud shrieking coming from his portable, which had somehow left his desk while he was sleeping and made its way to his pillow. Thank god he had made sure his room was sound proof. At least no one else was bothered with the noise. 

Making his way to the dining area, he tripped over the top step causing his head to bounce off the metal frame. 

“Ow…” 

He rubbed his forehead and trudged into the room. The tiger buried his head into his arms, giving a grunt as a greeting. 

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!” 

Turning his head, Casey caught sight of a familiar head of brown hair. The same one that had forced him out of the pilot chair and into his room earlier. “You’re awfully chipper.” River just grinned at her. 

“She should be,” Came from a voice from the other side of River. “She somehow managed to get into Mal’s coffee supply.” Simon rolled his eyes as his sister practically bounced in her chair. 

Casey frowned at the girl. “You drink coffee?” 

“No.” That voice wasn’t River or her doctor brother. This one came from across the table from him. “She does, however, seem to enjoy eating coffee beans.” Mal took another sip of his drink and eyed her. 

“Gor’ram girl’s just as crazy as she ever was.” 

He didn’t even have to look up to see who that was. 

All Casey did was bury his face in his arms as Jayne’s comment started the normal bickering between Jayne and Simon, with a few comments from Mal and Zoe. This continued on for some time, Mal having made some off handed comment started an argument between him and Inara as well, when his hearing picked up the footsteps. He identified one as Kaylee (those boots made a strange squishy sound when she walked) but couldn’t place the other one. It must have been the passenger they had just taken on. 

Mal told whoever it was to take a seat anywhere. The person walked behind him and he felt a strange sensation work its way down his spine. Blinking, he shook it off as lack of sleep. The captain was talking again, making introductions to those who hadn’t met the passenger. 

“This is our doc, Simon and his sister. And the unconscious one over there is our pilot.” 

Casey lifted his hand in greeting, never moving his head. 

“Crew, this is Chancellor Finn. He’s our passenger til’ we reach New Melbourne.” 

The tiger master’s head shot up, searching out the room until it landed on one person in particular. “RJ?” 

“Casey?” 

Silence descended on the dining area, the two figures not taking their eyes off of each other. 

It was Jayne who broke the silence. “So, you two know each other then?” 

-

 

Taking a deep breath, Casey got up from his seat. “Hello, RJ.” It took effort not to squirm under his eyes. From the corner of his eye, he saw River and Simon quietly slip out of their seats and disappear out the door. 

“Casey,” RJ repeated. His mouth kept opening and shutting, as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how. He just stared. Casey was certainly looking different from the last time he had seen the tiger. His clothes were more ragged and his hair was messy. But Casey seemed so much more comfortable than he had when he saw him at that party. 

Before the wolf even blinked he found the tiger beside him. He blinked in surprise, taking in the dark expression on his mate’s face. A hand grabbed his coat and he found himself being tugged out of the dining area. 

Casey pushed RJ out into the corridor, glancing back at the stunned expressions momentarily. “Don’t let Jayne eat my food.” A ‘hey!’ followed them as Casey drug the wolf down to the cargo bay. He released his hold on the man and stomped a few feet away. 

“Casey?” RJ stepped forward, closing in on his tiger. “What--.” 

“What the hell are you doing here, RJ?” The tiger master cut him off. 

RJ just looked even more confused. “What are you--. I’ve been looking for you.” Casey shifted away from him again, apparently intent of keep a certain amount of distance between the two. He didn’t like it but stopped his advances. The last thing he wanted was for Casey to run again. “I’ve been looking for you for months.” He got a scoff in reply. “I knew Inara lived on this ship and you were her escort. I thought she might know where you were.” 

“Well,” Casey replied as he threw up his hands. “You found me. Now what?” 

“I just--.” RJ didn’t quite know what to say to that. He really hadn’t thought farther than finding Casey. “Why did you leave?” 

“Which time? ‘Cause my reasoning for the first time was kinda obvious.” 

“Casey, you don’t know how sorry I am about that. How sorry we all are. We didn’t know. We thought--.” He was cut off by an annoyed sound from his mate. 

Casey waved him off. “That doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” He almost flinched at the hopeful look on the wolf’s face. “As for the last time, I had to leave and you were sleep. I didn’t want to wake you. It was easier this way.” 

RJ move toward his mate, freezing when the tiger looking one step away from bolting. 

“I can’t do this. Not again.” He backed off, flinching away. A hand brushed his shirt as it tried to grab it. “I’m sorry, RJ. I just can’t.” 

Casey turned and bolted up the stairs, pushing past a startled Jayne. He ignored the wolf’s yell for him to stop. 

“Does this mean I can have your food?” Jayne called after him. 

-

Rolling over in bed, Casey beat at the pillow. He kicked at the sheets and stared at the ceiling. It was a surprise that none of the others had come to ask about the scene in the kitchen. He guessed it was possible that they sensed his need for privacy and actually decided to honor it for once. 

RJ. 

RJ was on Serenity. 

A laugh escaped him at the seemingly impossible scenario. But as impossible as it seemed it was also completely true. Serenity had pretty much been his safe heaven since he arrived. The first time he had felt truly at home since he lived on the ranch. 

And now his past had invaded his present. Casey wasn’t sure what to do next. He had honestly never expected RJ to be looking for him and especially not to be found. The universe was a big place and it was easy to get yourself lost out on the rim. 

Sighing, he rolled over on the bed and allowed sleep to claim him. 

-

_Heat._

_Indescribable heat was the first thing the noticed when he was dragged back to consciousness. Gasping, he struggled to drag air back into his lungs. Fire licked his skin, making it itch. Casey whimpered and whined, tossing on the bed. Something latched on to his wrists, pinning his arms and effectively stopping his movements._

_“Calm down, Casey. You’ll be fine.”_

_“Give him this.”_

_“You need to drink this.”_

_He clinched his jaw tight; not wanting the nasty liquid forced passed his lips. A hand grabbed his chin and forced it open. Casey gagged and choked as it was poured down his throat._

_No. Not again._

_Pain shot through his limbs, paralyzing him. The heat tripled in intensity scorching him from the inside out. He felt his animal spirit echo his pain and weaken. The tiger inside of him was being forced away, pulled from his body._

_Casey growled as his eyes shot open and flashed animal. His animal spirit dug in its heels and he latched onto it, refuse to let it be taken. The dark haired man above him stumbled back from him, his hand releasing its grasp on the tiger’s chest._

_“What is it, Nate?”_

_He fell limp on the bed as he watched the wolf step up beside the man, sending Casey a worried look. A different kind of pain flittered through the tiger. Not physical this time but emotional. Betrayal filled him causing him to let out a cry. His eyes fluttered closed as the man, Nate, talked._

_“His animal spirit is strong. It refuses to let go.”_

_“Are you sure about this? I mean, the tiger’s never given any indication of being feral. And it’s taking so long to pull it…”_

_“RJ, this is what I do. If you want to save your… mate then we have to get rid of it.”_

_A hand grabbed his chest again and indescribable pain shot through him. Another cry escaped him. It felt like he was literally being ripped in two. But he just tightened his hold on to his animal._

_They weren’t going to take his tiger spirit. Not without killing him first._

“River?! River?!” 

River shot up in bed, clutching her chest. Tears poured down her cheeks as she cried. She shivered and shook. Hands wrapped around her arms, holding her. She didn’t even have to look up to find her brother sitting across from her. “Simon,” River cried as threw her arms around the man. 

“River, what is it? What’s wrong?” he asked her. 

She pulled from his grasp and got up. “Casey. It’s Casey. Bad dreams, scary monsters. Wake up, Casey. Please…” River didn’t even bother to put on shoes as she left the bunk, Simon on her heels. 

Mal met her in the hallway, looking more annoyed than worried. He was followed by Zoe and Jayne. “What the gor’ram is going on?! Screaming like a banshee? She having another fit, Doc, cause I thought those were long gone.” 

“She is. It’s not a fit,” Simon reassured them. 

“Then what--,” Mal cut off as he looked over the siblings. “Senator,” he greeted. “What are you doing up?” 

“Chancellor,” RJ corrected. “It was all the screaming. I was wondering if there’s anything I can do to help.” 

Shaking his head, Mal started to herd the man back to the guest bunks. “We’ve got everything handled here. Don’t you worry.” 

“It’s Casey.” 

That named stopped both of them in their tracks. RJ turned to find the dark girl staring at them. “River,” He whispered. Turning to the man next to her, RJ examined what he could see of him. Even without the similarities to the girl, he would have noticed the man anywhere. “Simon.” 

“What about Casey?” Mal ignored the Chancellor. 

She wrapped her arms around herself. “He’s having The Nightmare again.” 

“Ai-yah tyen-ah.” The captain hissed as he turned and headed back down the hallway, towards the pilots bunk. “I knew letting him sound proof the bunk was a bad idea.” He by-passed the locks on the door and pushed it open. 

Pain filled screams echoed down the hall, making RJ freeze. They sounded horrifyingly familiar, having been a part of his nightmares for the longest time. He watched as the Captain of the ship stepped down into the tiger’s bunk, followed closely by River. The other three hovered at the entrance, uncertainly. 

Mal was the first to reach Casey on the bed. He grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him. Howling filled the room as River moved beside him. She grabbed the tiger’s arm and closed her eyes. Suddenly, Casey’s eyes shot open and the room went silent. All that could be heard was Casey’s gasping breath. 

He blinked up at the two, uncomprehendingly. Slowly, realization filled his eyes. 

Mal frowned at River. “What did you do to him?” 

She reached up and ran a hand through the pilot’s hair. “Pulled him back to reality. Tiger spirit called to tiger spirit.” River tilted her head as she looked at Mal thoughtfully. “Not sure what I was supposed to do so I went with instinct. I’m still a cub.” 

“Cub,” Casey breathed. He gave the two a weak grin. “Did I wake you?” 

A harsh laugh fell from Mal’s lips. “Just a little.” 

“Sorry.” He reached up to run a shaking hand through his hair and turned to River. “This is why I don’t sleep.” An empty laugh escaped him. “I should have known better than to sleep so soon. And you wonder why I used to drink myself unconscious.” 

Worry crossed Mal’s face. “You gonna be okay?” 

“Talk to Simon,” River said before Casey could even mutter a word. “He’ll find something to help you sleep. No more monsters.” 

Casey’s grin turned a little more real. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you that monsters aren’t real?” 

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play with wolves?” River returned. 

A real laugh came from the tiger this time.

-

Casey woke with a disgruntled snort and a face full of dark hair. “Plth,” he spat as he sat up. Looking to find the source of this hair, he found it curled up beside him on the bunk. It was all he could do to blink. “River?” 

There was a deep mumbled sound in reply. A frown came to him as he realized it couldn’t have come from the girl. He peered over River and the edge of his bed to find a pile of blankets on the floor. It took him a couple moments of staring to realize something. 

They were moving. 

Leaning over a little farther to try and poke at the moving pile, Casey jerked back when he gained an annoyed sound from the tiger cub beside him. He looked down to see a pair of brown eyes staring up at him. 

“Hi,” she whispered. 

The tiger raised an eyebrow at her. “Now, I know you have your own bunk.” 

River gave a stretch and yawn. “Was afraid you’d have that nightmare.” She glanced to the floor. “I’m not the only one.” 

Casey followed her eyes to see that the pile had shifted and now there was head of brown hair shown. He rolled his eyes as he identified the person. River shifted to the side and let the tiger master scoot past her. Reaching out with his foot, he poked at the man sleeping on his floor. “Mal.” Poke. “Mal.” Poke shove. “Maaaalll.” Harder poke. Frustrated sigh. “Mal!” Small kick. 

Serenity’s captain jerked awake with a start. “Wha-?” 

“Morning,” River piped at him, grinning down at him. 

“What she said.” Casey had to bite back a laugh as the captain blinked blearily up at them. 

Malcolm Reynolds groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. But trying to move proved to be a bit more of a challenge when taking a step forward ended with him crashing to the floor. Snickering caught his attention and he glared at the two as he kicked the blankets away. “It’s not funny.” 

“No,” The pilot laughed. “’Course not.” 

River slid off of the bed. “Let’s get breakfast.” She grabbed onto Casey’s wrist and pulled him toward the exit before turning back to Mal, who was still standing there. “Coming?” 

“Hum? Yeah.” He shook his head, trying to get rid of the cobwebs, and joined them. Mal popped open the door. 

“Wait.” Casey was ignored as the girl started up the ladder, still clutching at the tiger’s wrist. “River. River.” Her pulling was more insistent. “River!” 

The young psychic finally turned to look at him, a quizzical expression on her face. “But… breakfast. You like food.” 

“Yes,” he agreed. “But I also like pants. How about you let me go put some on?” 

River blushed as she realized that Casey was, in fact, only wearing an extremely faded red shirt and a pair of black boxers. 

“Sorry.” 

\- 

Breakfast went by as uneventful as it ever had. RJ’s presence at the table was non-existent, which was pretty much the result of no one going to tell him it was time to eat. The conversation was quiet, nothing above a whisper. Casey had the vague feeling like the rest of the crew was afraid they were going to spook him and cause him to run like a baby deer. Even Jayne was sending him weary looks now and again. 

Still, it was enough for Casey to head for the cockpit at the first chance. He slid into his pilot’s seat with a sigh of relief, immensely glad for some time alone. 

Staring out the glass, the tiger allowed himself to be lulled into meditative state. This was the true reason he loved the black. Space out on the rim was quiet and peaceful, while core space tended to be more noisy and bustling with activity. His conscious reached out into the dark and found nothing but silence. 

“I’m glad you haven’t forgotten everything I taught you.” 

Casey jerked around in his seat to find the wolf master standing in the door way. His eyes narrowed. “How did you get in here?” 

RJ stepped into the cockpit quietly, not making even the slightest of sounds. “Getting past the crew wasn’t that hard. Most of them were sitting in the cargo bay. They didn’t even notice me come by.” He moved to vacant pilot chair on the other side of the room, spinning it around to face the tiger. “I thought we should talk.” 

For a long moment the pilot didn’t say anything, just stared at the wolf with an inscrutable expression. RJ never wavered as he stared back. Finally, Casey nodded. “I doubt there’s anything I’m going to say to change your mind so…” Casey turned back to the console, intent on ignoring the man. 

He ran a hand through his short hair with a sigh, the movements not even budging the carefully jelled strands. “How long have you been having the nightmares?” 

Hands froze over the console. “They’ve been coming on and off for… a long time.” Casey’s voice was empty and controlled. One of his hands came up to play with the long sleeve of the maroon shirt. “Every once in a while it’ll get really bad, other times they’ll disappear for months on end.” He gave a shrug, sparing him a quick glance. “You get used to it.” 

RJ shivered at the blank look in his mate’s eyes. “You shouldn’t have to.” He watched the tiger shrug again before pressing some of the buttons on the console. The cortex popped up on the screen in front of his mate. 

Casey messed with a screen until a certain planet popped up. “You can’t change the past, RJ. No matter how much you want to.” 

“I know,” RJ muttered. He got up from his chair and let his hand come up to rest on Casey’s arm as he knelt down beside him. “Just give me a chance, Case. Please. All I want is one chance to make it up to you.” 

“I don’t know.” Casey turned to look at the wolf. He barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes as RJ perched his chin on the pilot’s arm, trying to look as pitiful as possible. As far as manipulation went it was weak and probably for more amusement purposes than anything. 

“Please? I just want another try.” He blinked up at the tiger. “Or we can awkwardly avoid each other until the captain drops me off on New Melbourne.” 

“I don’t know. I could probably talk Mal into dumping you off on some backwater planet if I tried hard enough.” There were traces of amusement in the tiger’s voice. “Fine,” he said, sighing.   
“We still gotta two day ride to Whittier and then a little over a week until we reach New Melbourne. That gives you about a week and a half.” 

“Thank you.” RJ moved forward and pressed a kiss to Casey’s cheek. “You won’t regret it, I promise. I’ll make it up to you.” He watched his mate eye him uncomfortable. “I guess I’ll just leave you alone now.” With that RJ turned and headed for the door, looking a great deal happier and more like the RJ that Casey had known than the Chancellor that he seemed to have become. 

“Just remember,” Casey’s voice stopped RJ in his tracks and he turned from the doorway to look back at him, “for all intents and purposes you’re still luhn gohn.” 

RJ just nodded, disappearing out the door as quietly as he came. Casey turned back to the cortex and frowned when he realized that they weren’t close enough to Whittier. To ma duh, they were still about a few hours too far out to send a wave. Sighing, he grabbed a databook from his pile on top of the console. 

He had RJ on Serenity, apparently planning on getting Casey back. To what end, the tiger wasn’t sure. Plus, the nightmares were back and the doc’s meds weren’t going to hold them at bay for very long. 

“And people wonder why I drank.” 

-

“How joh bu jian.” 

RJ froze when he heard that soft voice trail across what he had thought was an empty common room. It was far more familiar than it probably should have been considering how long it had been since he had last heard it. Turning, he found the source of the voice sitting in front one of the tables, a red pencil perched over a sketch pad. “River.” He stepped towards her, only to stop when she shook her head. 

“You don’t understand.” River muttered, tilting her head. “Not your fault; you were never given the chance. But you don’t still the same.” 

He moved forward, not letting her warning looks stop him this time as the wolf sat down on the couch. “Everyone has been worried about you and Simon. Especially your parents.” As a frown came to her face RJ couldn’t help but notice just how much she had grown. The last time he had seen her she had just turned thirteen. Now she was all grown. 

Turning back to her picture, she shrugged. “No need to worry. Simon’s taken good care of me. Like he promised.” River said that last bit with a stern look to the man. It had been something that had been drilled into them since childhood. Protect your family. Protect your pack. 

It didn’t always work though. Neither RJ or her parents were exactly someone she knew she should be taking her cues from. RJ had failed. Her parents had failed, though they didn’t know it yet. They didn’t believe Simon, just the lie they had been told. River traded her red pencil for a yellow one. 

“River--,” he started only to be cut off as she slammed the colored pencil down. 

“You’re going to hurt him.” The girl spun around to face him, her dark hair flying. “He’s trying to be fixed, to be put back together, and it’s working. You’re going to shatter him.” A dark look crossed her face as memories she had caught came to her. Casey never let her see what went on inside his head but sometimes things leaked out. Most of them weren’t good. 

“Shah muh?” RJ sent her a startled look as she snatched up another pencil when back at the picture with a ferocity he hadn’t seen before. He wondered just what she was talking about when it hit him. Casey. It was only person she could have been talking about. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

River rolled her eyes and nodded, not even sparing him a look. Brown was replaced with blue. “Yes, I do. You’re going to try but it’s bu goh.” 

He placed a hand on her shoulder, frowning when she jerked away. “I’m not going to hurt him. I wouldn’t do that.” 

“Like before?” She finally spared him a glance. Pain crossed his face but she didn’t stop. He had to know. What he was getting into. He didn’t understand. “They didn’t start until you arrived. The nightmares. And they’re worse. Casey hasn’t had them for months and when he did it wasn’t as bad. Memories, even ones like that, fade after a while. But you brought them back.” 

RJ paled in reply and started to look like he was going to say something. 

Shaking her head, she gathered her stuff together. As she passed him on the couch River handed him the picture she had been working on. He still didn’t understand but it was a start. 

Gor’ram stubborn wolves. 

RJ watched as she pranced out the door with a grace the seemed far too much like Casey’s for him not to take notice. His grip on the paper tightened and he looked down at the picture. 

It was a picture of a wounded tiger lying on the grass with a demented looking snake above him, blood dripping from its fangs. When he looked closer, RJ could just make the outline of a wolf standing in the back ground, watching the scene with disinterest. 

He waded up the picture and tossed it as far away from him as he scrambled back. Still, no matter what he did, the wolf master couldn’t get the dead look of the lifelike tiger out of his mind. 

\- 

Casey couldn’t help but laugh at what Kaylee said from where she sat across from him. The two were sitting on the floor of the cockpit with a deck of cards between them. He reached down and grabbed four cards off of the face up stack. “It wasn’t that bad,” he said. 

It was her turn to laugh. “I thought he was going to shoot you!” Kaylee tossed down four cards and taking one, smiling at the indignant sound she got in reply. 

“Some people are so touchy.” Sighing, he looked down at his many cards and finally admitted something to himself. He sucked at this game. Casey sat down two cards, groaning when he had to pick up four more. 

Kaylee giggled at his actions before lying down the rest of her cards. “I win!” she announced with a bounce. 

“Gah.” The pilot swept up the cards and handed the deck over the engineer. “I suck at that game.” 

Standing up, she reached over and patted him on the head. A glare was sent to her at the patronizing action which she chose to ignore. “You aren’t that bad.” 

“Not ba--. I’m getting successfully worse each time I play!” Casey exclaimed. He stretched out and pulled himself up into his pilot’s chair. The chair creaked slightly in answer. She just laughed at him and waved bye before disappearing through the door. 

He shook his head and turned to the console. The picture of Whittier was still sitting open on the cortex but this time the red bar in the corner had turned green. A grin crossed his face as he realized that he must have spent more time hanging out with Kaylee than he had thought. 

It didn’t take long for the cortex to catch a signal and soon Casey a screen that that pronounced that it was ‘dialing’. Relaxing back in his chair, he eyes slid closed for a moment. 

“What?!” 

The angry female voice made Casey jerk and turn to face the screen. The woman in question was looking extremely pissed with black hair that was sticking up every which way. Guilt filled Casey as he realized he never check to see what time it was planetside. “Did I wake you?” 

She blinked at him, rubbing her eyes. “Casey? You have any idea what time it is?” She didn’t even wait for him to say anything before she continued. “Of course you don’t.” There was a voice from her side of the wave that sounded like ‘who is it?’. She turned to look at that person, calling out, “It’s Casey,” before turning back to the tiger. 

A sheepish look crossed his face that caused the annoyance on the woman’s face to melt away. “Sorry about this, Cam. Can I talk to Jarrod?” 

-

Somehow RJ didn’t think it would be that hard. Getting Casey alone, that was. Every time he tried to talk to the tiger alone one of the crew would appear claiming an ‘emergency’. If he didn’t know better, the wolf master would have thought Casey had planned it that way. 

He watched as Casey rolled his eyes at something Jayne said. The man way waving around what appeared to be a very large gun, showing it off to the tiger. Honestly, it was making RJ extremely uncomfortable. 

Jayne flipped it over and flicked the safety off before motioning at the barrel and returning the safety on. Casey took the gun from the man’s grasp and hefted its weight for a moment then pointed it at the wall. The tiger seemed strangely comfortable holding the gun, creating more questions that RJ was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get answered. 

There was a scratch of a chair being pulled back and RJ turned to find the engineer, Kaylee, sitting down beside him. 

“Hi,” she said, cheerfully. 

“Hello,” he returned. 

Kaylee grinned at him. “So you know our Casey, huh?” The grin widened as a weary look was sent her way. 

He frowned slightly at her wording, giving her his full attention. Hearing someone else call Casey theirs didn’t sit well with him. “Yes. I’ve known Casey for a long time.” 

A thoughtful look crossed her face. “So I guess that means that Casey used to live in the Core, right? I mean, I can’t really see someone as kai hua as you livin’ out on the rim. ‘Course, I can’t see Casey livin’ in the core either. It’s not really him.” Very much not Casey. If she remembered correctly, Casey had mentioned on many occasions his dislike of the core. ‘Course his past might have been the reason for that. 

“So Casey’s never really told you about his past?” 

Kaylee shook her head. “Naw, Casey doesn’t like to talk about it. He’ll get all moody and depressive sometimes and say that he doesn’t like livin’ in the past. But that’s just Casey and you get use to it.” 

“Get use to what, Kay-lee?” Casey drug out the woman’s name as he perched on the table. Reaching over, he plucked an apple from a bowl. 

“You,” she teased. 

The pilot pulled a blade from his pocket and slid it in to the apple with ease. They both shook their heads when he offered them a piece and he shrugged in answer. “I guess I am an acquired taste.” 

She watched as the pilot swung his feet back and forth and chopped happily on an apple wedge. “You’re awfully happy.” 

“’Course,” he replied. “We land in Whittier in less than a day.” 

“And you’re plannin’ to go visiting while we’re there?” It wasn’t really a question, even if it was phrased as one. 

“Yep,” Casey chomped though another piece. “RJ is too.” 

That caught RJ’s attention and brought him into the conversation. “I am?” 

The tiger master nodded. “Uh huh. Don’t worry.” He slid off the table and patted the wolf on the shoulder. “They don’t bite.” The hand moved up to pat him on the head as Casey moved toward the exit. “Much,” he added as he passed through the door. 

A startled look crossed the Chancellor’s face. “Should I be worried?” 

There was a heavy silence before Kaylee gave a very unconvincing. “…no.” 

\- 

Casey wasn’t quite sure what to expect when they landed on Whittier. After all, this had been the first time in while where he had actually given Camille and Jarrod heads up on his visit. His usual approach tended to be more in the area of a surprise. So he had to say the ending up with an arm full of ecstatic black haired woman the moment he had come off the ramp came as something of a pleasant shock. 

“Gah!” He stumbled back a few feet and flailed his arms a bit trying to regain balance as he heard happy squealing in his ear. 

“You’re okay!” Camille cried, pulling him even tighter into the hug. 

He pulled slightly, just as much so he could breathe as to see her. “Course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Recent developments,” were all she would say as a dark look flitted over her face. But it disappeared as quickly as it came and the smile returned at full force. 

“Okay, Camille. I think that’s enough.” 

An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her off the tiger. She turned to look at her husband with a frown. “I was just saying hello.” 

Jarrod rolled his eyes. “Normal hellos usually involve allowing the other person to breathe.” 

“Casey could breathe just fine, right?” She turned to look over at the tiger, who in turned just winced. The chameleon just grimaced in reply. “Sorry.” 

Casey shrugged. “It’s ‘kay.” He soon found himself embraced by the lion, as well, albeit a bit more gently. “God, it’s good to see you guys,” he muttered as Jarrod pulled away. 

“So,” Jarrod eyed the ship as he stepped back, “is he here?” 

There was an eye roll in response from the tiger master. “Yes, he is here. And I want you two to play nice.” He sent them warning glares as he heard noises of protest. “I mean it. I don’t want any trouble.” 

The two were silent for a moment before Camille muttered, “Fine.” 

Somehow that didn’t make Casey feel any better. “Just try,” he pleaded them. 

“I said ‘Fine’!” Camille grouched out, crossing her arms. 

A sigh escaped the pilot but he still nodded back up the ramp. The two followed him into the cargo bay where River and Kaylee were playing cards on one of the crates. River turned to them as they passed by and called out, “Watch out for the shuck and jive!” as they headed towards the common area. 

Casey turned back to her as the others headed through the doorway. “I always do.” He chose to ignore the snort he heard echoing through the bay. 

RJ was talking quietly Inara when they entered the common area. She didn’t even look up but the wolf master’s head shot up and he swung around to face them. Jarrod had taken on a decidedly blank look to his face while Camille settled for one of amusement. 

“Jarrod. Camille,” RJ greeted, obviously unsure as to what to say. Casey fell into a seat beside Inara while the other two didn’t budge. 

The first move was made by Jarrod, who held out his hand. “RJ. Wish I could say it was a pleasure.” The wolf master grasped his hand and it was all he could do not to smash the man’s face into a wall. Casey obviously saw this and looked ready to stop the lion. 

RJ noticed this as well and pulled back as soon as he could, falling back on his guard. The ‘hello’ from Camille was a tad bit warmer. She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. He relaxed a bit as she smiled up at him. That was why the fist flying at his face came as a completely unexpected occurrence. 

“Camille! I thought I said, ‘Be nice.’” 

“I only hit him once, didn’t I?” 

-

 

It seemed as though Simon was trying very hard not to laugh at him. Of course Simon wouldn’t do it out loud. That would be unprofessional of him. Especially when he was in the middle of trying to mend his patient. RJ flinched when the doctor applied another bandage. Mentally, he cursed the lack of proper medical supplies in the ship. At least the med-bands would make sure his nose would be healed by the end of the day. 

“Cam, you didn’t have to break his nose.” 

Warmth spread throughout the wolf as he heard the voice. RJ glanced past Simon to see Casey talking in the doorway of the infirmary to Camille. Jarrod hovered over her shoulder, looking far more amused than the moment warranted. 

“I know I didn’t have to. But I wanted to.” 

A sound came from Simon that sounded dangerously close to a snicker. RJ glared up at the man, but it seemed the large strips of white covering his nose damped the desired effect as Simon seemed to content to ignore him. The last bandage was put into place. 

“How you feeling?” 

RJ glanced up to find the tiger, his mate, standing before him. “Been better.” His voice came out a little higher and a little whiner than usual but Casey either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Either one was fine for the wolf. The tiger just looked to Simon for confirmation. 

There was hissing voices from the doorway and the Chancellor turned to from where Casey was talking to Simon to see Jarrod and Camille in feverous discussion. She kept shaking her head while he nodded. It went on for a few minutes before Jarrod finally pushed her through the door, towards the wolf. 

He heard her mutter ‘fine’ as she came to a stop in front of him. Weariness filled him. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t defend himself should she come at him again but he knew his fighting skills was a bit rusty. 

The expression on her face was a bit pained. “I’m sorry,” Camille bit out. 

Surprise filled him. This was the last thing that he expected. For a moment he thought he had heard wrong. “What?” 

Camille let out a harsh breath. “I said that I’m sorry.” A look of disbelief appeared on the wolf master’s face. “I shouldn’t have broken your nose.” 

From the look on the chameleon’s face, sorry was the last thing that she was feeling. It actually seemed as though she wanted to take another swing at him. And honestly? Right now he would have liked nothing more than to give her the confrontation the woman seemed to crave. But he didn’t think that would go over well with the tiger. “It’s fine.” He was sure that he sounded about as sincere as Camille had. 

She made a rude noise and crossed her arms. For a moment, RJ was sure she was going to say something more but her husband cut her off. 

“Camille…” Jarrod’s voice held a warning tone to it. He gave her a look that she obviously recognized. 

Camille frowned at him, giving a glare. “I said I was sorry, Jarrod. Don’t push it,” she snapped back. There was a sound of barely muffled laughter in the room and she turned to see Casey biting the back of his hand to stop the laughs. The glare was turned his way, which was answered with grin. 

“Just don’t mess with it no matter how much it hurts and it should be fine by tomorrow.” Simon passed the wolf a container. “Just take one of these if the pain starts to get too bad. And be care with them. There are side effects.” 

RJ glanced down at the pill bottle that the man had handed him speculatively. “What kind of side effects?” 

There was a shrug. “Dizziness. Vomiting. It’s a painkiller so you might end up kinda…” he drifted off and made a swirling motion with his hand, “loopy.” 

The look that the bottle was given was more appreciative this time. “What about if I don’t take the pills?” 

“Pain,” was as all Simon said. 

RJ ended up taking one the moment he got back to his bunk. 

-

Casey knew he was at least a little drunk by the time that he returned to the ship. His visits with the Camille and Jarrod usually ended that way. But as he caught sight of the scene through Kaylee’s open doorway, he couldn’t help but paused and wonder if maybe one of the two hadn't slipped something into his drinks. 

Laughter floated from the room as the engineer was spun around. Classical music drifted from a set of speakers mounted by the bed. 

Shaking his head, the pilot flipped off the music, causing both Kaylee and RJ to turn and look at him in surprise. “What are you two doing?” 

RJ gave a pleased, “Casey!” 

“We’re dancing,” Kaylee replied, managing to sound as if his question had been the dumbest ever asked. RJ just kept looking Casey over, making him want to shift uncomfortably. The wolf looked a little dazed and the tiger knew with sudden clarity what was going on. 

“RJ, just how many of those pills did you take?” 

RJ looked more affronted by the accusation than anything else. “Just one.” But his words were cancelled out by the fact that he kept swaying back and forth, even though the music had stopped. 

“Uh huh,” the pilot replied slowly. “And how many times did you take ‘just one’?” 

The wolf master fell silent for a few moments. “Three… or four,” came the unsure answer. A frown crossed the wolf’s face. “I think they're a little strong.” 

That received a snort. “You think?” Casey rubbed his forehead, suddenly wishing he had agreed to stay longer or at least drank something a little stronger. Then, suddenly, RJ was there, using a speed that could have only been possible by a Pai Zhaq master. Arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him against a very warm, very firm body and, a moment later, the wolf was nuzzling his neck. One of RJ’s hands slid down his back until reached his butt and stayed there. 

A hiss escaped the tiger as he realized that he really wanted nothing more than to take what the wolf was so bluntly offering. But as a giggle snapped him back to reality, and he realized that he was standing there in front of Kaylee, allowing himself to be groped. So he forced himself to slip out of the wolf master’s grasp in a move that was easier than it should have been. 

RJ whimpered in reply, causing the engineer to once again laugh. The wolf just stepped back up beside the tiger with a thoughtful look on his face. “You’re pretty.” 

Suddenly Casey knew he had made the right decision in letting him go. “Okay, it’s time to take you back to your bunk.” 

“Aw…” Kaylee stepped up and slid an arm through the Chancellor’s. “Can’t I keep him a little longer?” 

Casey just laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think so. Come on, RJ.” He grabbed the back of RJ’s shirt and pulled him out of the room, classical music turning on and following them down the halls. 

He had no clue how the wolf master had managed to dance with Kaylee, seeing as he apparently had trouble even walking a straight line. They stumbled a little and the Chancellor nearly took a header down a set of stairs but they managed to make it back to RJ’s guest bunk without any major accidents. “I don’t know what the doc was thinking. He had to have known how strong those things are.” 

There was loud creak as RJ fell back on the bed and stretched out. “Simon’s mad at me.” That comment was muttered and muffled into a pillow, but Casey managed to make it out just the same. 

“Why would he be mad?” Casey blinked in surprise. All he got in reply was a grunt so he shook the wolf’s shoulder. “RJ, why would Simon be mad at you?” 

There was a groan this time and when RJ gave the answer he was half-asleep. “Because I didn’t stop his parents.” 

“His parents? RJ, what are you talking about?” 

But RJ was already fast asleep. 

-

There were times when Simon had to admit that Casey really creeped him out. Luckily, those moments were few and fleeting and most of the time he enjoyed the company of the pilot. Casey could hold a decent conversation and seemed surprisingly well versed in Core politics. Unfortunately, this was one of those creepy moments. 

As Simon worked on cleaning up the infirmary, Casey just sat there on the bed watching him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Casey hadn’t so much as budged, his expression eerily similar to that of River when she was trying to work out a particularly difficult puzzle. 

“If you’re going to say something, please just say it,” Simon finally said as he turned around. 

Casey just looked amused and Simon thought he wasn’t going to say anything at all until, “How do you know RJ?” 

Simon gave a visible start at the name. The only people he had ever heard call him something other than Chancellor or Requiem was his parents, an apparent testament to how close Serenity’s pilot had once been with RJ. “He is a friend of my parents.” 

There was a nod in reply, as though the doctor had confirmed something for him. The pilot chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before he spoke again. “Did he--,” he trailed off looking momentarily conflicted before shaking his head. “Did he know about River? About what the alliance were doing to her?” 

A very improper snort escaped the doctor. “Not likely.” He turned back to stuff the white boxes in the cabinet. “Honestly, I don’t even think my parents know what has happened to her. They probably still think that she’s nice and safe at school while I threw a hissy fit and disappeared.” Simon paused and frowned as he thought of the man he just sedated. “At least until RJ tells them.” 

Casey automatically opened his mouth to deny the fact, to say that RJ wouldn’t go do something that would cause Simon and River so much pain. But no sound came as he realized that, with complete honesty, he couldn’t. 

\- 

The first thing that RJ noticed when he woke up was that while his nose was no longer hurting his head was pounding. He bit his lip so he wouldn’t let out a whimper as he grabbed his head. A noise managed to find its way out but it turned into more a muffled wheeze than anything. Even his wolf spirit felt sluggish. Damn he hated pain killers. 

He would have preferred the broken nose. 

Rolling over, RJ snuggled deeper into his pillow and shifted against the uncomfortable mattress. Blinking into the darkness he noticed something else as shadows shifted and moved. 

There was someone here with him. 

He jerked up in bed and immediately regretted the action as his head started pounding even harder. His eyes drifted closed as his animal spirit reached out. There was a startled noise might have come from him or his wolf as he recognized the animal spirit. 

It was a tiger. 

His eyes shot open and he found himself peering into those of River’s. The next startled noise he knew for a fact came from him. RJ scrambled up in the bed, falling over his own feet to flip on the light. The small room lit up and he turned to find River perched on the edge of his bed, cross-legged and watching him. 

“Wond ba duhn!” he exclaimed. “What the hell are you doing in here, River?” 

“Waiting,” was the simple answer. 

“For what?” RJ ran a hand across his face, through his hair. 

“You. To wake up.” She slid off the bed and crossed the room to stand in front of him. “I want to talk to you before you do something stupid.” 

A startled expression came across RJ’s face. “Stupid? I’m not going to do anything stupid.” 

River gave a snort and crossed her arms. “Of course you are. I’ve warned you before. You don’t listen. Now that you know, that Casey knows. Though Casey doesn’t know. Not really.” She shook her head and turned starting to pace. “Rambling. You’re going to do something stupid and hurt Casey. Don’t call them.” 

“River,” RJ started. “I don’t think--.” 

She spun around and glared at him, suddenly angry. “Exactly you don’t think. That’s the problem.” Then she froze taking a deep breath and running her fingers through her already messy hair. “The wolf is a natural predator. The tiger never cared. I care.” 

Then she was right there, in his face, looking more serious than he ever remembered seeing her, including the time she tried to convince her parents that it had been goblins that broken her brother’s holodeck. He instinctively took a step back but she didn’t even budge. It was then that he realized what exactly it was she said. 

Wolf. She had said wolf, and tiger. There was no way that she could possibly know. He hadn’t said anything and he certainly doubted that Casey would either. “River, how did you--.” 

“No. No!” The anger was back in full force. “You hurt Casey and I will take you down.” 

With that she turned and stomped out of the room, the door swishing closed behind her. 

RJ just stood there wondering what the hell just happened. 

-

It was kind of creepy in a sweet sort of way, if Casey thought about it; the way that RJ always sort of just seemed to appear where ever he was. If he was talking to Jayne in the kitchen, or hanging out with Kaylee in the engine room, or in the cargo bay with Zoe, or even sitting in the cock pit by himself trying to get some peace and quiet. He had even taken to hiding in the infirmary at times. No matter where he was, RJ was there. 

And it wasn’t like the wolf master was being obvious about it. Most of the time RJ wasn’t even talking to him, either off doing his own thing or talking with one of the crew. But he was always there. 

He dug through one of the dining area cabinets, hoping to god that there was a bowl still clean. Dishes were piled up in the sink, waiting for Jayne to clean them. Shoving aside what appeared to have been a grater that had probably been around pre-independent war time, he leaned farther into the cabinet. 

A light glinted off something in the corner of his eye and he grinned as he picked up a metal bowl. It was in decent shape, though it probably hadn’t been used in quite some time. 

Suddenly, there was something brushing against his back, startling him. A startled yelp escaped him as he jumped, slamming his head on the inside of the cabinet. He jerked back, blinking, rubbing his head. 

Standing there beside him, looking a cross between concerned and amused, was RJ himself. 

“Um… hi?” he offered. 

RJ held his hand out, which Casey gratefully grabbed before he was hauled to his feet. “What were you doing down there?” 

Casey just held out his prize. “Bowl.” It was even dirtier in the lights but that was something that could be easily fixed. He shoved some of the dishes in the sink over, watching terrified for a moment as they tipped precariously before balancing out, and flipped on the water. 

All he got in reply was an amused look from the wolf. RJ grinned and shook his head. 

“What?” he asked, as RJ kept staring, making him feel self conscious and shift under the scrutiny. 

The wolf master just sort of reached out, pausing uncertainly before he actually touched Casey. Biting his bottom lip, RJ shook his head before rubbing the side of the pilot’s cheek with his thumb. “You had something…” he trailed off. 

His hand never left Casey’s face, instead sliding down to rest on the neck. Casey didn’t even have to look to know that it had settled over the mark there. 

He shifted, intending to move back away from touch, the warmth, and that insistent feeling of nicehotpleasemine, only to find the counter blocking his escape. 

Then RJ was right there, mere inches from his face, eyes drawn to where his hand sat. Casey knew just how easy it would be to close those last few inches, to just move and he could shake the feeling of how okay it would make everything. 

Except that it wouldn’t. 

A darkened set of eyes made contact with his and RJ moved in, brushing their lips together. There was a clatter before he wrapped his arms around the wolf’s neck, moving into the embrace. Then it was gone. Casey barely had time to blink before he caught sight of the rich purple jacket disappearing out the door. 

Gor’ram bipolar wolves. 

He shook his head and picked the bowl up from the floor where it had fallen. 

\- 

Sweat poured off of Casey as he gasped in exhilaration. His hand slid through his hair and brushed his wet hand against his pants. Laughter escaped him as he shot forward, snatching the ball out of Jayne’s hands. He turned back in time to see the larger man lurch at him, quickly tossing the ball to Zoe and dodging out of the way. “Give it up you two. Ya’ll ain’t gonna beat us.” 

Mal just sent him an affronted look followed by an eye roll while Jayne sputtered. The larger man stumbled into a crate as the pilot once again moved from his path. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Mal called to Jayne. “Careful with the cargo.” 

Jayne just grunted in reply. 

The ball was once again passed to him. Casey shot past a startled Mal and made it in the basket. Zoe laughed beside him as the other two groaned and River and Kaylee cheered from the sidelines. 

“What are they doing?” 

River and Kaylee turned to find RJ standing behind them, staring at the scene in the cargo bay with interest. “Playing,” River replied, somehow managing to sound like she was both exasperated and giggling at the same time. 

“They’ve been at it for about an hour now,” Kaylee added. “It’s Zoe and Casey against the captain and Jayne.” She grinned up at him as he watched the game. 

“How do tell when someone’s won?” 

“When one team finally gives up,” the engineer answered, blushing when the Chancellor looked down at her. River cheered from beside her, bouncing slightly. Both their feet hung over the edge of the metal landing and they had long since kicked off their shoes. 

“Governor!” A out of breath voice called, catching the wolf master’s attention. 

He glanced back to see the game had stopped and the four had turned to watch him. “Chancellor,” he corrected Mal automatically. Casey was grinning up at him, looking happier than he had seen the tiger since he came on the ship. He could help but stare at the man, who had apparently abandoned his shirt some time earlier in the game. Sweat glistened in the light and RJ could clearly make out the claw tattoo on his arm. 

“Wanna play?” Casey called up at him. 

Before RJ could say anything Jayne snorted, “Naw, the man’s probably too kai hua for this game.” He grabbed the ball from Zoe’s grasp only to get it snatched back with a glare. 

RJ sent the mercenary a frown but shook his head just the same. “I think I’ll pass.” 

“Afraid to lose?” the pilot teased. The others laughed in response. But Casey just watched the wolf with a raised eyebrow, waiting for his reaction. 

“I never lose,” RJ replied as he crossed his arms. He stared down at the tiger as a look of amusement was sent up at him. 

Casey caught the double meaning with ease, not even blinking. “Then prove it,” he challenged, meeting the wolf’s eyes stare for stare. 

They held gaze for a few moments before RJ finally cracked, “Fine.” 

Mal shook his head as the Chancellor began to pull off his expensively decorated jacket to reveal a shirt that was probably just as expensive. He looked over to his pilot who shrugged. 

“Game on.” 

\- 

It was invigorating and exciting and so many more things that Casey didn’t know what to call it. The others usually tried to give him a good game but it wasn’t the same. But Casey had to admit, playing with RJ brought things to a whole new level. It was great to have someone who played on his level, even if the wolf seemed a bit rusty on such games. Casey didn’t have to hold back with him because he knew RJ wouldn’t either. 

Mal and Zoe had bowed out of the game not too long after RJ joined, having turned into more of a challenge than they knew they could handle. And Jayne had just sort of disappeared during it all. This just left RJ and Casey to the game. 

The wolf literally growled at the tiger as the ball was taken from his grasp. Casey just laughed at him and took a shot at the basket. It bounced off the rim and RJ caught it mid-air, pushing off of one of the crates. The next thing he knew, the tiger master had knocked the ball from his grip as he tackled him and run after it. 

RJ was gasping as he scrambled to his feet. It had been quite a while since he had really played a physical contact sport. Sparring didn’t count but know that he thought about it, it had been a while since he had sparred as well. Things like this weren’t really approved for the ‘elite’. 

And damn it if he hadn’t missed it. 

There was a laugh Casey managed to dodge his grasp once again and he was startled to realize that it had come from him. He managed to snag his arm around the tiger’s waist, pushing the ball out of his grasp before bounding after it. 

Casey shot after him, only to slam right into the wolf when he stopped dead, peering at the boxes of cargo, and sending them flying forward. 

“Ow…” the tiger groused. There was a tangle of limbs and skin and sweat as he rolled over off of the wolf with an ‘omph’. 

RJ let out a gaspy laugh, breathing hard. “Does this mean I win?” 

The tiger just glanced over at the wolf before chuckling. “Not a chance.” 

Yeah, he had missed this alright. 

-

 

There was a little flashing light that told RJ that he had a new wave by the time he returned to his room. He was more than ready to ignore, completely sweaty and more than willing to happily put up with the hydrospray instead of an actual shower if that meant he could be clean. The dark stains on his clothes weren’t even really worth trying to get out, even if it was possible, so he figured them as ruined and tossed them aside, digging in his bag for something clean.

But he wouldn’t find it in himself to regret it.

A grin crossed his face at the pleasant ache of his muscles. It had been a very long time since he’d just let go to have fun like that. He sighed and stretched, grimacing when bones popped that probably shouldn’t.

What he wouldn’t do for a real shower, with real water, instead the hydrospray this ship was equipped with. RJ didn’t know how Casey dealt with it.

The first thing he was going to do when he got home was take a nice long hot shower. Or even a bath. And if everything went according to plan, he wouldn’t be alone.

Out of the corner of his eye RJ caught sight of the flashing light again. Glancing down at the clothes then back at the cortex, he made his decision. It had to be of some importance since it was sent right to his direct line.

“RJ, I hope this message finds you well. We’re in the middle of a visit to Kali…” a voice began.

He froze when he recognized the woman on the screen. The hair, the smile, everything was the same as he remembered. It was startling to realize that it hadn’t even been a month since he’d seen her last. After everything that had happened so far, it seemed like it had been so much longer. He reached out to touch the screen, just staring at the woman’s face. Her daughter looked so much like her. Not that her son didn’t as well, but it was so much more evident in River than Simon. If he hadn’t know that River was her daughter than the way the girl had moved alone would have tipped him off.

The message continued playing, completely ignoring the stunned look on the wolf master’s face.

Simon and River’s parents had missed them desperately. They needed to know that their children were alive and well. And River and Simon must have been wonder about their parents as well. Whatever it was that had caused Simon to take River and live out on this ship must have been a misunderstanding. RJ was doing the right think my telling their parents what was going on.

Firmly resolute, he reached out and began to record the message.

But for some reason, as he paused momentarily before hitting send, he couldn’t shake the feel that he had done something completely stupid.

-

“Casey!”

Mal’s voice echoed throughout the cockpit, making him jerk awake and sending him crashing to the ground.

“Ow…” he grumbled, pulling himself back up into his chair and grabbed the databook from where it had fallen to the floor with him.

Mal leaned against the console beside him, staring down with thinly veiled concern. “Sleeping on the job?”

“Well, I _was_ ,” Casey muttered, stretching, “until some bu mingan hundan woke me up.” He sent the captain an annoyed look, which was returned with a wide grin.

Apparently he’d decided that if Casey was well enough to insult him than there wasn’t anything to be worried about. “Change of plans.”

“What kind of change of plans?” Before Mal could say anything a decidedly pained look crossed the pilot’s face. “Are we dumping cargo again? Cause I wouldn’t recommend it if we want enough fuel to reach planetside. Wait…” he paused, frowning. “We don’t have any cargo. At least nothing we could get in trouble for.” The frown deepened as Mal continued to look smug. “Oh, no. No, no, no. We are not spacing RJ. I don’t care what Jayne says.”

A completely befuddled expression appeared on Mal’s face. “What are you-- I’m not talking about spacing the Senator. We’re just having a minor change of course. We’re taking a pit stop at Kali.”

“Oh,” Casey leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. “We’re just stopping at Kali then?”

Mal nodded, not liking the expression that was crossing his pilot’s face. “Yep. Our guest is paying us extra for this detour, of course.”

“Let me guess,” the pilot replied, “You got a job there waiting for us as well?”

“Well,” Mal shrugged. “I couldn’t let a good opportunity like this to go to waste, could I? There’s cargo waiting to for us to deliver to its new home.”

“Okay.” He closed his eyes and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Well then, what in the tyen shiao duh is the matter with you? Have you completely lost it?!” A strangled noise escaped him. “Kali is about as bad as Ariel. You trying to get arrested? Flying right into the middle of alliance territory. And then pull a job in the middle of it!”

“Casey…” Mal reached out and placed a hand on the pilot’s shoulder. He could clearly see stress and fatigue playing on his face, obvious signs that Casey still wasn’t getting enough sleep no matter what anyone said. “It’s not like we haven’t pulled something like this before.”

Casey shook his head. “That was different. First of all, you didn’t have an alliance official staying on your ship at the time. Secondly, it was actually planned out much better and it still almost went south.” He sighed, looking up at Mal with weary eyes. “Sometimes I don’t understand you Mal. You’re Momma raised you smarter than this. Hell, _I_ raised you smarter than this.”

“I know. You don’t need to worry, Casey. It’s a simple grab and drop. That’s all. And having the Governor on ship actually gives us more credibility. We grab the cargo, drop off our guest back home and then drop our cargo. Easiest money you ever made.” He gave what he hoped was a reassuring grin, but from Casey’s expression he doubted it. “You know, after we drop off the cargo, we’ll be sitting shiny for a while. We could probably take nice vacation. Maybe head back to Shadow?”

Another sigh escaped him. Mal was never very good at subtle. “You’re trying to manipulate me,” he muttered. “Always knew you were kwong-jun duh.”

Mal didn’t deny it, the bastard. “Maybe. Is it working.”

Casey just nodded, all the fight leaving him. He really was getting to old for this. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I always do.”

Casey just snorted as he heard Mal’s footsteps fade away. “That’s debatable.”

-

 

“I don’t like it,” Jayne said, leaning against the counter.

There was no startled look or jerk of surprise that he was expecting. Instead, Casey just took another bite of his apple and glanced up. And damn if that knowing look wasn’t the least bit unsettling.

“What don’t you like?” The pilot asked.

“You know,” he replied, shifting uncomfortably, “the alliance being about here on the boat. Heading to an alliance controlled planet. It just don’t sit right with me.” Casey looked like he was going to say something. “Look, I know you and he have some sort of a past and that’s all good and well, but I ain’t stupid. We’re being led by an alliance official to an alliance controlled planet. What part of that is supposed to be a good idea?”

A frown appeared on Casey’s face, before he nodded. “I agree.”

“Pulling a job is one thing-- wait, huh?”

“This is a completely bad idea and it’s probably going to go horribly wrong. But Mal seems to think it’ll work and it’s not like we can’t use the money.”

“You don’t seem all that worried.”

The pilot just shrugged, having gone back to the datapad that he was working on, allowing Jayne free reign to examine the boy at the table.

And he was just that, Jayne realized. A boy. It was his turn to frown. Looking past the continuously tired look and rumpled clothes, he realized that Casey couldn’t have been older than the doc, if even that.

But that couldn’t have been right. Both Mal and Zoe had said that Casey was a browncoat during the war. Hell, Casey couldn’t have been more than a kid during the war.

He shook his head, grabbing an apple of his own from the bowl.

Casey glanced up, catching sight of Jayne’s dubious expression. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“O--kay.”

-

Casey was stretched out on a group of crates when RJ found him, later that day. Eyes stared straight up at the ceiling, drowsy and heavy-lidded. The rumpled faded red shirt had slid up slightly, showing off a patch of skin.

Stepping forward, RJ found himself reaching out, wanting to brush his hand against that skin but he stopped himself, fairly sure that the touch would be unwelcomed. Instead, he moved back, planning to leave his mate alone no matter how much the wolf didn’t want to.

“RJ,” Casey’s voice cut through the almost empty bay, making it sound louder than it was and causing him to freeze at the bottom of the stair.

He turned around to find the tiger staring at him, any sign of sleepiness wiped from his face. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

A sad smile appeared on Casey’s face as he shook his head. “Liar.” And RJ got the feeling that Casey was talking about something else entirely. “Are we going to regret it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Casey sat up, resting his arms on his legs. “Going to Kali. Is it going to be something we’re going to regret?”

This was it. The moment he could come clean and just tell Casey. But he couldn’t. Simon and River were so intent on avoid their parents and as much as it hurt him to say it, he knew that if he told Casey just who was supposed to meet them on Kali he would turn the ship around instead of listening to RJ. This was for the best and everyone would see it. It would be okay.

“No.”

Casey nodded, looking slightly more relaxed, and laid back down.

RJ left him to his nap, ignoring the nervous feeling in the pit of his gut.

-

They landed on Kali with surprisingly little fuss.

Zoe chose to stick around the ship while Casey, Mal, and Jayne loaded themselves up on the mule, not wanting to leave the ship completely undefended should this go south. “You all be careful and don’t do anything stupid.” This last part was said looking a Jayne, who replied with an affronted, “hey!”

“Don’t worry, Zoe. I’ll make sure that everything goes shiny,” Casey said.

The expression on her face could only be described as thinly veiled disbelief.

Mal just sent her a look of reassurance that was returned with an eye roll as Jayne threw the mule into gear and they were gone.

“Don’t worry so much,” Kaylee said as she stepped up beside Zoe, staring out at the busy loading dock. “I’m sure that things will be okay.” Any effect that her words may have had were stifled by the worry that was in her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

The two turned to see the Chancellor standing there in the middle of the cargo bay, looking completely at home. And damned if that didn’t piss Zoe off just a little bit. Thinking that an outsider could just come in here and start so much trouble made her blood boil. She wasn’t stupid. Zoe saw the way the Chancellor-- RJ, her brain supplied-- had looked at Casey and the nightmares had been all but nonexistent to a point until he had shown up. He was the reason for their pilot’s sleepless nights.

“Oh. Hi, Chancellor!” Kaylee was blushing as the Chancellor grinned her way.

“RJ, please.”

Her blush deepened. “RJ,” she corrected.

“So,” he continued. “What’s going on?” He blinked and glanced around, taking in the lack of crew. “Where’s Casey?”

“He left with Jayne and the captain. They had a couple of errands to run. We don’t spend that much time hanging around the core and I guess they’re taking advantage of it.”

Zoe didn’t miss the relieved look that crossed the Chancellor’s face. Her expression tightened.

“So why didn’t you go with them? Kali is a popular vacationing spot. I’ve been told the shopping is second to none.”

Kaylee’s eyes sparkled at the prospect before they dimmed, remembering that this wasn’t a vacation but a job. She shook her head. “I have some work to do around here. Some of this stuff is hard to up there so I like to get this done when we’re on solid ground.” She didn’t have to look at Zoe to know that the woman was giving RJ a dirty look and she sent her a curious one in reply. Zoe just jerked her head back toward the stairs. Kaylee gave a sigh. “Which I should probably be doing now.”

RJ watched her scurry away with a frown before turning back to Zoe. “Was it something I said?”

For a moment Zoe wanted to say something-- to accuse and demand but she caught sight of two figures approaching the ship before she had a chance. That was probably a good thing too. Mal wouldn’t have been too pleased to find out she had lost her temper with one of the best paying passengers that they’ve had. “I think your visitors are here.”

“Hello, RJ.”

Zoe moved back as the two approached the Chancellor and the female flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She couldn’t make what he said next but then the shorter man had given him a quick hug as well, happy chatter filling up the cargo bay as the three tried to talk at the same time.

All this commotion had apparently caught the doc’s attention because she saw him appear from the infirmary and River wasn’t far behind. Then he froze and paled and this time Zoe didn’t stop from going for her gun.

The woman and the man had stopped as well. Then the woman stepped forward, stopping only when Simon jerked back, looking like he wanted to grab River and flee. “Simon. River.”

For a moment Zoe thought that Simon was going to disappear back into the infirmary. But he didn’t. He stood his ground, head held high and looked them straight in the eye as he said, “Hello, Mother. Father.”

And River peaked out from behind her brother and waved. “Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.”

-

Mal took in the scene as they returned to the ship and immediately went for his gun. There was a general air of panic and shock and the fact that Zoe had her gun out already certainly didn’t help.

There was a thump and a curse from behind him as Casey and Jayne had come up behind him, hauling in the crate. The two he didn’t recognize shot Jayne a look of general disgust.

“Come on, Jayne, move! This crate is starting to slip.” The voice from the other side of the wooden box was muffled and Jayne gave the two finely dressed individuals a dark look before moving again. “Thank you!”

River shifted gracefully to her brother’s side while her parent’s attention was elsewhere, wrapping her hand around his arm and giving it a squeeze. He looked down at her, his thinly veiled anger morphing into gentle curiosity. She leaned up and whispered, “Kitty cat can run fast but no matter what, he can’t out run his past.” When he was about to say something in reply she poked him in the side and motion toward Casey.

“Careful, careful,” Casey muttered.

“I got it,” Jayne replied, irritated, as they slowly lowered the crate to the floor.

Casey gave a jerk as she caught sight of the two standing with RJ from the corner of his eye and he let go of the crate. Jayne let out a yelp and a curse as it landed on his foot but Casey paid no mind. “What the--?”

The pair’s expression mirrored Casey’s shocked own as they stared back.

“Casey,” the woman’s voice whispered softly.

“Lily? Theo?”

-

“What the hell is this?” 

Casey barely spared Mal a glance. His attention was directed more toward the group in the middle of the cargo bay. 

“Casey,” Lily said, stunned, before a big grin broke out of her face and she moved forward, only to freeze when Casey backed away. “Casey?” 

“Lily, Theo, this is certainly a surprise.” He glanced over at Simon and River, who were looking more than a little surprised themselves, then looked over at RJ, who refused to make eye contact. “In more ways than one.” 

“Wo Bu Shin Wo Dah Yan Jing,” Theo blinked at them, incredulous. 

“My sentiments exactly,” was all Casey said in reply. The look he shot RJ was nothing short of murderous. 

Then he turned and headed up the stairs, disappearing through the doorway, leaving a mix of confused, resigned and guilty looking expressions behind. 

River moved from her brother’s side, approaching the group. She didn’t even spare her parents a glance, looking up at RJ instead. “I tried to warn you.” 

Then she turned and followed Casey’s path out of the room. 

-

Casey was a few feet from the door to his bunk when a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He spun around, instinctively swinging out to hit the person. Jayne barely jerked back in time to avoid a hit to the face. 

“Wei!” He stumbled back a few feet, holding up his hands as Casey glared at him. “What did I do?” 

There was a growl in reply as Casey clinched a fist at his side. “I’m not in the mood, Jayne.” 

“You know, I never took you for being someone who would hide from their problems.” Jayne seemed thoughtful, which was never good in Casey’s opinion. 

“What?” What the gorram was Jayne going on about now? 

Jayne continued on as if Casey hadn’t said anything. “I could always shoot him if you want. And the doc and crazy’s parents too. Save us all a mess of trouble.” 

Casey opened his mouth, ready to tell Jayne he better not even try, then stopped. “I’ll get back to you on that.” 

That appeared to appease Jayne, if the pleased look on his face was anything to go by. Casey wondered if he should be worried about that. 

\- 

“You know I have half a mind just to take off and leave you here.” 

RJ glanced up to see the captain standing across from him, glaring. 

“There seems to have to have been nothing but trouble going on since we took you on board.” Mal’s hand twitched, hovering over the pistol strapped to his thigh. 

RJ suddenly became very aware that he and the captain were the only ones in the kitchen. Frowning, he calculated his odds. He would probably be able to get out of the way if Mal decided he’d had enough and shoot. It wouldn’t take that much effort to incapacitate him before he even tried. 

Instead, he just sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I haven’t meant to cause you any trouble,” he tried to soothe it over. RJ was a diplomat and this man in front of him was nothing but the captain of a third rate cargo ship. How hard would it be? He changed his posture, moving toward non-threatening and reassuring. “This will all be okay. I am sure about that. All I wanted was for them to talk.” 

Hands slammed themselves down on the table, creating a loud bang that echoed throughout the room. Mal was eye to eye with him, looking very much like he wanted to take a swing at him. “If you believe that everything is going to work out then tell me, why is my pilot hiding in his bunk?” 

\- 

Theo crossed the cargo bay, running his hand across a few of the crates idly. Sunlight streamed from the open cargo bay doors, brightening up the room and making it look less depressing than he originally thought. Lily had disappeared after their son, when he stomped out of the room. 

“You shouldn’t be poking around down here.” 

He spun around to find the large man sitting in front of the crate he had helped carry in with Casey. The man wasn’t even looking up at him, making Theo wonder if maybe it hadn’t been him speaking in the first place. He seemed more to be paying more attention to the very large gun he was cleaning. “I’m sorry?” 

The man finally glanced up at him. “I said you shouldn’t be poking around down here. Shouldn’t you be with the good Chancellor?” 

“Lily believed it would be best if I stayed out of the way.” And she was probably right, but he didn’t add that. 

There was a snort in reply as the man proceeded to clean a piece and snap it into place. 

“I’d ignore him,” a smiling female voice called from across the cargo bay. Theo turned to see a woman who would have be more in place on Ariel than on this ship. He wondered if she was a passenger as well. “Jayne doesn’t possess anything in the way of manners.” 

Jayne just answered by leering at her. She turned to look a Theo with a raised eyebrow as if to say ‘see?’. 

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Theo replied, amused. He immediately turned on the charm, knowing it would do well to learn more about the ship and those on it. 

She gave a soft smile. “My name is Inara.” 

“I’m Theo.” 

Inara falter a little but the smile never wavered. “You’re Simon and River’s father.” 

He merely raised an eyebrow. “News travels fast here.” 

“It’s a very small ship.” 

Theo looked around in obvious distaste. “I can tell.” 

Inara frowned and turned to eye the man on the floor. “Jayne, what are you doing?” 

He shrugged. “Cleaning my gun.” 

“Here?” She asked, incredulous. 

“It’s my very favorite gun.” 

\- 

The holo-book was starting to blur before Casey’s eyes and he could already feel the pull of sleep tugging at his conscious when the door to his bunk slammed open. He blinked as a familiar slight figure appeared. “I thought I locked that door.” 

River just jumped on his bed and curled up against the wall, wrapping her arm around her legs. Her fingers tangled in the blue skirt as her grip tightened. 

“What’s wrong?” Casey asked, concerned spun around in the chair, tossing the book aside. It landed harmlessly on the desk. 

“I can’t be out there. I can’t.” She grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it. For a moment he thought he wasn’t going to get any more than that but she glanced back up. “This was good. All of it was. We were happy. Now it’s not.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I tried to stop it. I really did. But now it’s going to go bad.” 

He got up off the chair and slid onto the bed beside her, slipping an arm around her shoulder. She immediately buried herself into his embrace. “I want them to leave.” 

“I wouldn’t worry too much, River. Even you can’t predict the future,” he replied. 

“Don’t need too. I can see inside them all. What they are thinking, planning. Everything else is statistical probability. Mathematics. Yes, no, maybe, so.” She shrugged, sighing. “I can make predictions and see the most likely outcome.” 

Casey shook his head. “But it’ll still be a guess.” 

“A good guess. A very good guess.” A thoughtful look crossed her face and she frowned, turning to look up at him. “The only unknown variable in this equation is… you.”


End file.
